Relating to the office hours of an election authority during an election period.

Contracts

• Election Services Agreements (ESAs): Review all active agreements with third-party vendors (voting machines, ballot printing). Ensure the definition of "business day" in the contract aligns with the new statutory definition to prevent breach of contract claims regarding delivery timelines.
• Vendor SLAs: Vendors servicing political subdivisions must adjust Service Level Agreements. If a client (e.g., a City) operates on a 4-day workweek, the vendor cannot count the closed day (e.g., Friday) as a "business day" for turnaround times unless the contract explicitly overrides the statute.

Hiring/Training

• Staff Training: City Secretaries, County Clerks, and Elections Administrators must train staff on the new calculation method for statutory windows (filing periods, contest deadlines). Staff must understand that if the main office is physically closed, the election clock stops.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Official Hours Documentation: You must maintain a formal administrative memo, ordinance, or resolution establishing the "main business office" hours. This document serves as the primary legal defense if a candidate claims a deadline was miscalculated.
• Public Notice: Update all physical and digital "Notice of Deadline to File" postings to explicitly reflect the hours of the main business office.

Fees & Costs

• Budget Impact: Negligible. No new fees are introduced.
• Potential Savings: Reduces legal costs associated with litigation over ambiguous filing deadlines during irregular work weeks.